title: Assessing operational effectiveness in healthcare organizations: a systematic approach.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this paper is to propose a systematic approach to measuring, tracking, monitoring and continuously improving efficiency, availability and quality in healthcare operational settings.
  
  
  METHODS
  The proposed measure of healthcare operational effectiveness (HOE) consists of three indicators. They include an availability indicator, an quality indicator, and an efficiency indicator. The proposed approach tends to facilitate the systematic improvement at the different facets of operational effectiveness.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The proposed operational performance approach based on the HOE is consistent with the themes of performance measures and measurement reported in the literature.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The proposed healthcare operational effectiveness approach represents a serious attempt at quantifying the key facets of service effectiveness in healthcare operational settings. The validation of this performance assessment and measurement approach is worthy of future research.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The approach advocated by the HOE has operational and strategic relevance to decision makers of healthcare organizations.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This paper presents a practical, systematic approach toward enhancing operational effectiveness in healthcare organizations. Relevant implementation issues associated with the proposed approach are also addressed.
authors.affiliation: Faculdade de Economia da Universidade de Coimbra, Instituto de Sistemas e Robótica, Coimbra, Portugal.
authors.forename: Carlos F
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Gomes
authors.forename: Mahmoud M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Yasin
authors.forename: Yousef
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yasin
mesh_terms: D017598:Efficiency, Organizational; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006801:Humans; D017064:Process Assessment, Health Care / Q000379:methods*; D019984:Quality Indicators, Health Care